Old Ending, New Beginnings
by AlwaysPretending
Summary: Chlex - Chloe had wasted years thinking Clark was who she wanted. Could the person she needs be the one she least expects? **Part 2 up!**
1. Default Chapter

Title: Old Ending, New Beginnings Author: Kerry Email: Whatever212@yahoo.com Disclaimer: While I love having the opportunity to take these characters out and play with them for a while, none of them are really mine and I promise to put them back where I found them - a little more rumpled maybe, but definitely intact. Couple: Lex Luthor and Chloe Sullivan. Comments: This fic will pick up after season one - everything as you know it in season two has never happened, and probably in this fic, will never happen.  
bPrologue/b  
  
"Lana's there."  
  
Reality hit like an ice cold bucket of water as Clark's words registered. I guess that is it then, Chloe Sullivan thought numbly to herself even as she tried to reassure him that Lana would be fine.  
  
Somehow, she always managed to set herself up for some spectacular falls, and this one had to be the greatest. For an all too brief moment, she had naively thought that her friendship with Clark would be something.more. Something that burst through the confines of mere friendship, tiptoeing instead across the barrier into the zone designated "romance". Yet there she stood, staring into the blue eyes of her best friend and it was in that instant that she knew.  
  
She had lost him. Again.  
  
He didn't even really need say it. The mere mention of Lana Lang's name was enough to send shards of realisation down Chloe's spine and she knew then that it would be she who would be left standing alone while Clark ran to the one he truly loved, she who would suffer the pangs of dashed hopes and dreams. He didn't need to say it - it was all in the eyes that blinked at her so innocently and in a way that usually her anger had always managed to melt away.  
  
But not this time. No way. Uh huh.  
  
Deep inside, a spark of anger was being slowly fanned as she watched his gaze move over her shoulder to the door beyond, his stance shifting anxiously from foot to foot. A bright flush rose to her cheeks and if she didn't feel like her heart was breaking, she could have sneered.  
  
In Clark Kent's life, Chloe never played anything more than second string. He was the guy to whom it seemed that Chloe was destined to be nothing more than a "close friend" with. A confidant, a pal. Someone who was always just ithere/i for his hormonally driven murmurings about the love of his life - and the love of his life was definitely not one Chloe Sullivan.  
  
Bitterly, Chloe acknowledged a nagging thought that had plagued the back of her mind, a thought that had been entertained in her darkest moments - it had become obvious that the past few weeks when she had thought that it was finally her that had captured Clark's attention was nothing more than a brief pit stop on the road to Lana. Years of waiting patiently for his clouded eyes to open wide to the possibility that stood before him were years of wasted time, wasted hopes. She was finally getting the message.  
  
They were just friends.  
  
Blinking back the tears that were threatening to well, Chloe turned, moving towards her cell phone, before something.instinct.made her turn back to where Clark was, already knowing what she would see. Numbness overwhelmed her and she knew then that this was the price she would pay for her brief glimpse of happiness in Clark's arms as the realisation of what he was doing fully sunk in.  
  
But for now, she just watched as her date disappeared into the crowd, running as though his life depended on it.  
  
Running. Just running.  
  
Away from her. 


	2. Part 1

Disclaimer: While I love having the opportunity to take these characters out and play with them for a while, none of them are really mine and I promise to put them back where I found them - a little more rumpled maybe, but definitely intact.  
b Part One /b  
  
It seemed as though it had been a lifetime ago since Chloe had last been here. She shifted her shoulder bag restlessly as she stood on the sidewalk, gazing up at the large lettering on the side of the building - The Talon. Yep, she was definitely back in Smallville.  
  
Since departing her house no more than half an hour ago, Chloe had walked slowly up the main street, reorientating herself to small town life. Nothing had changed, not really. The storefronts were still the same from what they had been before she had left. There was the same gentle breeze that wafted down the main street, ruffling her hair slightly. It wasn't as though she had expected anything to have really changed since her departure - nothing in Smallville ever did.  
  
In fact, Chloe wasn't too sure i what /i she had been expecting.  
  
All she knew was that she felt different from who she had been when she had last stood in this exact spot. Older. Perhaps a bit wiser. She had her time in Metropolis to thank for that.  
  
Gazing through glass door of The Talon, Chloe could see that the coffee shop was as busy as ever. Crowds of teenagers and adults alike intermingled holding mugs of caffeine laden drinks and wearing broad smiles. From here, she could tell the buzz of conversation was loud, an occasional high pitched laugh interspersing with the talk of patrons. The Talon looked as inviting as ever, yet Chloe still hesitated to go in.  
  
She knew the reason behind the hesitation. Like Smallville, it hadn't changed.  
  
It was the same thing that had sent her scurrying from the town like a dog with its tail between its legs, trying to escape the hurt that even now still had a slight edge to it. It had taken her some time to get over the pain and focus on the reason behind it.  
  
Chloe had had to face, head on, the bitter truth. She was never going to be anything more than friends with Clark Kent. It had been time to accept it, deal with it and move on.  
  
It was hard. Chloe, her temperament always having been one of fiery determination, was not one to back off from something that she wanted, and she had really wanted him. But the subject of her affection didn't want her back, not really. That kind of rejection was always difficult to swallow.  
  
But swallow Chloe did and eventually, as the days ran into weeks, she began to look at the world around her in a brand new light. She began to feel as though a giant weight had been taken from her shoulders and she felt.free.  
  
Chloe came to realise that, because of her unrequited feelings for Clark, she had kept her eyes closed to most possibilities that had been before her, possibilities that had passed her by. So, empowered with the knowledge, she had dated while in Metropolis, got back into the swing of things. She didn't date anyone special and she hadn't really expected to, but the extra attention had been nice.and just what she had needed.  
  
Chloe still smiled when she remembered the moment she had first realised looks of admiration had actually been directed at her - not someone else with long brown hair and a tendency to stumble into danger, but her.  
  
So, when the time came for the new school year, Chloe felt completely ready to return to Smallville.  
  
The jury was still out on whether she felt ready to face Clark Kent.  
  
She took a moment to close her eyes and breathe deep, the sweet scent of fresh air enthralling her senses after the heavy pollution of Metropolis. For the first time in weeks, Chloe enjoyed being able to stand on a sidewalk without being pushed or bumped against. Metropolis was a city that she loved, true, but being of small stature did have its disadvantages. The city streets had been crowded with people rushing in their daily work and more than once Chloe had arrived home at night with a collection of bruises.  
  
Unable to put it off any longer, Chloe walked briskly to the door and jerked it open. She paused for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust from the bright sunshine to the darker interior before striding inside with a confidence that she didn't entirely feel. Had anyone looked up, they would have seen a pretty, petite blond walk into the café as though she owned the place.  
  
Of course, no one looked up. As always, Chloe's entrance into The Talon was largely ignored by the mass of teenagers Chloe recognised from her school. No one was ever much interested in the strange blond who always seemed to be poking her nose where it didn't belong. And, most agreed, her nose - or any other part of her body for that matter - definitely didn't belong in the circle elite of Smallville High.  
  
As always, she told herself she didn't care as she grabbed a coffee at the counter and then made her way to a vacant table. Her eyes darted behind her and, noting the absence of the dark haired ex-cheerleader, breathed a sigh of relief. Either by intent or design, she wasn't too sure which, Chloe ended up seating herself so that her direct line of vision was to the front door. It wasn't because the possibilities of running into Clark Kent were high at The Talon, she told herself but knew that she lied. Sitting back, she flung her shoulder bag carelessly onto the floor beside her chair. Tension that she didn't know she had drained from her shoulders and, for the first time since she left her house just a half hour ago, she felt herself relax.  
  
As much as she loved Metropolis, it still felt good to be home.  
  
Chloe lent forward and rummaged through her bag, her seeking fingers finally emerging. They clutched a well worn notebook, its pages rumpled and somewhat torn from use. She dug a little further and brought forth a pen, a particular favourite of hers and one that she used whenever she needed a little confidence.  
  
She sat back in her chair, wiggling slightly to get comfortable. Propping the notebook on her knee, she became deep in thought as she tapped her pen against her head in a habit she had only recently picked up while working for The Daily Planet.  
  
School was starting in a couple of days, and Chloe wanted to get a head start on the Torch this year. She had been brainstorming some possible articles while away and there was no time like the present to get started on some of them.  
  
As Chloe sat, her eyes fixed with fierce concentration on the notebook in front of her, she had no idea that she was the subject of intense observation. Nor that she had been since she had first walked through the door.  
  
She had no idea at all.  
  
***********  
  
Thanks to all those who reviewed, either through this site or through my email. Your comments are appreciated and encourage me to write faster! 


	3. Part 2

Part Two  
  
Standing by the counter, Lex once again found his eyes moving back to the petite form in the corner. He had noticed her as soon as she had walked in the door, even though Lex knew that she had not seen him. Now, she sat tucked away as though she wished the world was going on without her. His eyes narrowed as he watched Chloe drop her guard little by little, merely by sitting there alone with nothing but her writing and her coffee for company.  
  
He watched as the movement of her pen paused for a moment, the instrument hovering over the paper. She stared at the words she had written but he wondered whether she really saw them.  
  
She had changed somewhat from the lively sprite he had first met. Gone was the energy that seemed to cloak her, effecting those who were around her with boundless vigour. Gone was the effortless smile that lit her entire face. In its place was a fragile, pale creature whose entire posture spoke of weariness. Lex hoped it was all temporary.  
  
Chloe was back in Smallville. But, the real question was: was she back in one piece?  
  
Maybe her time in Metropolis had taken its toll on her, the stress of her internship. Lex knew it had to be more than that. It hadn't taken a genius to decode Clark's abridged retelling of the night of the Prom to realise that someone had gotten hurt, that Chloe had gotten hurt. Clark himself seemed oblivious to the pain he had caused Chloe that night.  
  
Leaning across the counter, Lex gave his order and tapped his fingers impatiently as it was filled. In front of him, Chloe bit her lower lip as she concentrated on the paper in front of her and Lex found himself fixated on the sight of her pearly teeth sinking into the vulnerable flesh. Unbidden, Lex had an image of his own teeth nipping carefully at the delicate tissue of her lip before soothing away the sting with his tongue.  
  
Shocked at himself, Lex shook his head as a plate and his coffee were shoved towards him, the abrupt movement thankfully breaking off his thoughts.  
  
Just as well, he thought to himself, as he picked up his order and made his way over to the small corner where Clark's friend sat. As he moved, he tried to forget that brief searing image with every step he took and bury the knowledge that his attraction to the young blond he had felt upon first meeting her, the attraction that had gotten stronger every time they had met, had not gone away.  
  
In a world of her own, Chloe didn't even realise that someone had paused beside her until a plate appeared unceremoniously in front of her.  
  
"Here. Eat this. You can't survive on coffee alone, Ms Sullivan."  
  
Taking her time in glancing up, Chloe was not surprised to see the resident Richie Rich in front of her. As always, Lex was the image of impeccable good taste dressed in only the finest and looking completely out of place amongst the flannel wearing public of Smallville. Idly, she wondered if he had ever worn a pair of jeans in his life and almost laughed out loud at the look of horror she imagined would run across his face if she ever suggested it. Even so, her eyebrow rose at the tone of censure she could hear clearly in his voice. "How like you," she started, closing her notebook and giving Lex her full attention.  
  
"Hmm?" Lex responded. He placed his own coffee on the table and moved to put his coat on the back of his chair. Settling down, he finally gave her his full attention, his eyebrow raised at the unanswered query.  
  
"Oh, you know, just giving orders and expecting them to be obeyed, no questions asked." Chloe replied, determined not to eat the sandwich he had put in front of her, based on mere principle of the matter. How like Lex to just assume control of everything and everyone around him. She wasn't even hungry!  
  
Her stomach, never one to listen to her mind's demands, rumbled, reminding her that she had not fed it since breakfast that morning and that had been so long ago.  
  
Okay, Chloe admitted it. She was starving and that sandwich looked so good.  
  
"Eat," Lex urged, nudging the plate closer to her. He seemed to realise that her resolve was wavering, for he smirked and sat back in his chair, knowing that his request would be obeyed.  
  
Not that it was obeyed, Chloe told herself even as she picked the sandwich up and took a bite, biting back a groan of delight at the food. It was going to go to waste anyway. Besides, if Lex was willing to purchase her lunch, a lunch that she didn't have the money to pay for anyway, who was she to complain? She had just saved herself a trip back home, not to mention the task of actually making her own lunch. She should be happy.  
  
If only he would stop looking so smug about it - it was just a sandwich, not the Nobel Peace Prize!  
  
"So, what are you doing here, Mr Luthor?" Chloe took another bite, chewing and swallowing before she finished her sentence. "I mean, you didn't come here just to buy me lunch."  
  
A curl of Lex's lips - Chloe presumed that was what he called a smile - directed itself at Chloe before he answered. "It's Lex and, no, that was improvised. I just came here for some coffee."  
  
Leaning forward to throw her notebook into her bag, Chloe picked up the second half of her sandwich on the way back to settling into her chair comfortably. "What, did you run out at the castle?"  
  
"Mansion," Lex corrected absently, staring into his coffee cup. "No, I just needed to get out for a bit. The mansion isn't big enough for two Luthors." he let his words trail off.  
  
"Oh," Chloe didn't know what to say. She watched as an impassive mask dropped over his face, and wondered at what he was hiding. What was she talking about? Lex Luthor always seemed to be hiding something! "Dad told me about your father, Lex. I'm sorry."  
  
He shrugged, yet Chloe detected sorrow in the movement. Abruptly although not surprising, he changed the subject as though the topic of his father had never come up.  
  
"Working already?" he asked, gesturing at her collection of paper and pens that were distributed liberally around the small table. "You aren't even back at school yet."  
  
"Oh no," Chloe answered, gathering up the rest of her things that were strewn around the small table and shoved them back into her bag. She checked to make sure she had already replaced her notebook, in case she had forgotten. It was one of her prized possessions, after all, and to lose it would be a disaster. "Just some Torch stuff I thought I would get a head start on. Nothing you would be interested in."  
  
"You don't know what I would be interested in," Lex remarked quietly and Chloe's head shot up at the tone in his voice. She frowned slightly but Lex was already moving on.  
  
"So," Lex started casually, something that should have sent alarm bells ringing in Chloe's mind. Nothing about Lex was ever casual.  
  
"I haven't seen you around all that much over the summer before you went to Metropolis and since you have been back.and I don't think Clark has either. He mentioned it in passing a few times when I saw him."  
  
Chloe had jolted at Lex's first words, a warm sort of a buzz spreading through her body at the thought of Lex Luthor, one of the rising stars in the business world, taking note of her comings and goings, before she deflated at the mention of Clark.  
  
Of course, she thought to herself, mocking her own momentary thrill. It is just Lex Luthor coming to the aid of the hapless Clark Kent once again.  
  
Out loud, she retorted, "Playing at being Clark's messenger again, Lex?"  
  
"That is not why I asked, but he is worried about you, Chloe," Lex answered evenly, his keen eyes watching as she flushed. "In fact, so am I. Are you okay? You just don't seem yourself."  
  
"Oh," Chloe started airily, waving a casual hand that did not reflect the tension inside her. "I've just been busy."  
  
Lex shook his head. "You don't have to lie to me, Chloe. Your.feelings for Clark, your attempted relationship. It didn't pan out?"  
  
If Chloe was merely pink before, she was red now. "How did you.?" she whispered before laughing shortly. "Oh wait. You are Lex Luthor. You know everything."  
  
Tilting his head slightly as he studied her, Lex again shook his head. "No, Chloe, I don't know everything."  
  
"Whatever," Chloe snapped back, her eyes regaining some of their previous fire that Lex had thought may have been gone forever. "Look, you can go back to Clark and report to him that he has nothing to worry about."  
  
Frowning, Lex raised a hand in the air to cut her off. "This talk isn't for Clark," he said, exasperated. "This is just a concerned citizen doing his bit to keep the Earth spinning. That is all." He lent forward, taking her hand in his and forcing her to meet his glaze. "That is all, Chloe," Lex repeated softly.  
  
"Oh," Chloe squeaked slightly, conscious of her hand lying within Lex's grasp. His hand felt nice, not hard with calluses and rough like Clark's. Lex's hand was soft and well looked after, strong as his fingers held firmly onto hers. She gasped slightly as she seemed to tingle all over, as though small twinges of electricity was running between their palms. She tilted her head at the pleasant sensation and her eyes met his.  
  
In silence, they stared at each other over the table before Lex cleared his throat, dropping her hand at the same time as though it burnt him. "Yes, well."  
  
Chloe shook her head as though to dislodge the slight murkiness that had formed as she gazed into Lex's eyes that had, for a brief moment, shone warmly at her before they retreated back to their usual coolness. "I'm fine," she said, finally answering his question. She paused for a moment, as she wondered how much she was able to safely tell him. "I was busy with my internship and.I just needed some space over the summer," she said carefully. "Some time to think about things, without."  
  
".Clark there to further complicate issues," Lex finished for her, nodding in understanding.  
  
"And have you worked things out to your satisfaction?" Lex prodded her when it seemed as though she was not going to continue.  
  
"Yes," Chloe nodded hesitantly before her brow furrowed and she spoke more decisively. "Yes, I have."  
  
"Good," Lex half smiled at her. As he sipped at the coffee that was rapidly growing cool, he told himself that he was not feeling a sudden rush of relief at her revelation. "I'm glad for you," he continued. "It wasn't good for you to be pining over him." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Lex wished that he could suddenly recall them as Chloe went from calm to furious in 0.8 seconds.  
  
"Pining? I wasn't 'pining'. And who are you to decide what is good for me, huh? Tell me! Yoda? Mr Miyagi? Am I supposed to just throw up my hands at your declaration and cry 'I hear and obey O, Master'?"  
  
"Well," Lex smirked, real amusement glinting in his eyes. "I like the sound of 'Master'." He threw his hands up as her face flushed with anger. "Kidding. I'm just kidding."  
  
"I didn't think that was allowed," Chloe snapped, unwilling to be humoured out of her mood. Who did he think he was? Someone who cared even to ask you how you were, an inner voice whispered and she wilted at the reminder. Okay, maybe she was making a big deal out of nothing. Besides, hadn't she already decided that pining - yes, she admitted it - over Clark had gotten her no where? Was it really all that hard for her to hear it out loud?  
  
Or perhaps it was just because Lex had said it. Lex, who wasn't really anything more than Clark's friend, yet who seemed to have the ability to look at her as though he were looking straight into her soul. Either way, she looked at Lex apologetically. "Lex, I'm.."  
  
"No, no," he waved her off, unwilling to accept her half formed apology. "I shouldn't have said anything."  
  
She hesitated before nodding her head. This was the first time that she had been able to speak to Lex in any great depth and she found that she enjoyed his company. He honestly was one of the most interesting people that she had ever met, not that she would ever admit it of course. There was just something about him that seemed to inspire honesty from her. Chloe didn't know what it was that was so different about him, but she found that she liked it. She felt as though she could say anything to him and he wouldn't mock her, or roll his eyes and say "There goes Chloe again," like Clark and Pete sometimes did.  
  
Chloe blinked. Where had all of that come from? This was Lex Luthor. Smallville's apparent devil-in-residence, the root of all evil. She couldn't possibly be having warm fuzzies about Lex Luthor!  
  
She just wished things weren't so complicated.  
  
"What is it that you wish for?" Lex asked, and Chloe's head shot up. Did she say that out loud? He looked at her expectantly and she mentally groaned as she realised that she must have said it out loud.  
  
She thought quickly for a moment before confessing quietly. "I was just thinking that I wished that someone would look at me the way Clark looks at Lana some day. Is that too much to ask?"  
  
Replacing the mug that he had held limply in one hand to the table, Lex ran his hand over his scalp. "No, Chloe, its not. You know, we have a lot in common."  
  
"What?" Chloe mock gasped, feeling the return of her good spirits. "Lex Luthor admitting common ground with a local," she sneered the word, placing upon it the same feeling Lionel Luthor would have.  
  
"You know, it happens more often than my father would ever want me to admit, Chloe." Lex stood, collecting up his coat as she watched him with wide eyes.  
  
Chloe told herself that she didn't really want to know, and she wasn't going to ask.but the reporter in her was clambering to find out. "Wait a minute - what is it that we have in common?"  
  
Turning back slightly, Lex gave her a sad smile - one that made her almost miss his words, so shocked was she at seeing his mask of indifference slip slightly, if only momentarily. "We are both lonely."  
  
****  
  
Once again, thanks to those who reviewed the last part. I really appreciate the encouragement! 


	4. Author Note

**AUTHOR NOTE**  
  
I know that I haven't updated here in a while, and it is due to my frustration with the formatting options available here. If you do want to read any further (and future!) chapters of this fic, please follow this link:  
  
- ?act=ST&f=23&t=149&s=45ec996a0459791679ace378c5d6722d 


End file.
